Diverse - HARRY POTTER

Jessica - 3

Saturday - December 19th – 9:00 am

Finally, the last day of the term before Christmas. Things hadn't been so bad after Halloween. My father hadn't attacked since (that I know of anyway) and fewer people were staring than usual so that's a good sign. Molly had left with Alex earlier to get breakfast but I didn't feel like eating.

After Halloween Alex had been off with me for a few weeks. 4 weeks and 3.5 days to be exact, but I mean who's counting. Anyway, Molly spent all those weeks talking to him, letting him know I said those horrible things spur of the moment, and I never, ever meant to hurt him like that. He wouldn't give me the time of day or else I would've done it myself.

Sting had hung around me a lot more in those awful weeks. He would sit next to me in classes or we'd meet in the library. Often he would bring Alannah and Lucy, which didn't bother me, I'm just glad he has friends. Win and Ed would be there occasionally also.

My life finally didn't feel like total hell. That wouldn't last too long, Jace Cooke always made his way onto the scene. Doing what he does best, bully me. "Oh look who it is, the loner. How does it feel Black? To be friendless and a loser." Comments like that made nearly every day. I would usually just ignore them but sometimes they hurt. One stuck particularly bad "Can't wait to see your face when your psychotic mother doesn't pick you up for Christmas." My fists clenched tightly to my sides.

"She will be there and she's not psychotic like you." Didn't help though, he and his stupid friends laughed. This just infuriated me more. I wanted to punch him.

"Don't worry Black, if my husband was a master serial killer I'd be too ashamed to show my face as well. You think we don't all know your poor mother didn't leave her bedroom all summer. Clearly, she doesn't have that much shame though considering she still allowed you to be here." He spat. That worst part was, I knew he was right.

I made my way down towards the great hall to wait for the Hogwarts express. I shook the thought of Jace from my mind and blocked out everything. I didn't even hear Harry calling my name from the top of the staircase. That was until he ran down to the middle and pulled me by the shoulder.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Harry seemed angry. Ron and Hermione just appeared at the top of the staircase, panting. Were they running after him?

"I wasn't, sorry." Harry didn't seem at all pleased. He held a blank piece of parchment in one hand the other hand raked through his messy black hair.

"Were you ever going to tell me your dad was my godfather? Or that he killed my parents?" Yep, he was definitely angry. "I had respect for you, Jessica. You talked to me like we were mutual. You lied right to my face every day. What did you think I'd never find out?"

I could barely register what he was saying. He was shouting at me; my eyes grew wide. I could see the hurt in his eyes, could hear the crack in his voice. I know what he's thinking, it should have been you who was punished, not me. But I am being punished, I am punished every day for merely existing. "I – I thought you knew."

"Thought I Knew!" He was infuriated, his face was turning red and he was speaking all in one breath. "You could have said something. Anything. How could I have known? The least you could have done was tell me. I could have stayed with you and your mother in a stable and happy home, legally. No, you didn't have the decency. You knew who I was the moment you met me, you knew what your father had done. You allowed me to go back to the Dursleys every single year! Maybe I would have forgiven you, but this, I will never forgive you for this." And he stormed off up the stairs. Ron and Hermione followed him, not giving me one last look. I was fully aware I was standing with my jaw wide open and I looked like an idiot. I am speechless. He was right but I didn't know that.

I sat on my own on the train. I didn't want to sit with Alex and Molly. I have dealt with enough people my father has hurt today. I honestly don't think I could've looked him in the face. The door to my compartment slid open and I didn't even bother to look at who it was.

Someone slipped into the seat in front of me. "Jess?" this wasn't the voice of anyone I immediately recognized. I slowly raised my head, my long blonde hair draping around my shoulders. I knew who he was when I saw him, Dean Thomas, but I had never talked to him.

"Dean?" he's here to talk to me about Harry. I know they're friends, well I think they are anyway, I really wasn't in the mood. "Why are you in here?" He looked at his hands awkwardly.

"I – um" now he's staring out the window. "I saw your fight with Harry." He coughed. "I just came to see if you're okay? Maybe you wanted to talk or something." He was waiting for some sort of reaction or maybe my side of the story. I don't know.

"Oh. I'm okay. Thanks, Dean." We sort of just looked at each other. It didn't seem like he was going to leave. What is he waiting for? "Eh, where's Seamus?" he smiled at my question.

"He's with Pavati and Lavender. I wanted to make sure you were alright and everything." Now it was my turn to smile. "Anyway, I think he has a crush on one of them. Helping a friend out." I laughed at his stupid joke.

"My mother told me thirteen-year-olds can't really have a crush." I don't know why I said this, but I did. She always told me "No dating till your 16. You can't actually feel a proper crush until that age anyway."

"Well, lucky for him, he's fourteen." Clever, very witty. I had to give it to him, he found a loophole. I did that sort of laugh where you blow from your nose. "Anyway, I'm fourteen and I have a crush. I think they're real." I blushed, why am I blushing? I think he picked up on it because he's laughing at me.

He stayed with me the rest of the train ride. We talked about anything really. I told him stories of the outsiders, he told me about the stupid things Seamus does. We talked about muggle school and how it differs. He told me he thinks I should be in Gryffindor but I disagreed with him. Ravenclaw was where I belonged. All this time on the train and not once did he bring up my father or harry. For that, I really was grateful. Dean is nice and funny. He made me laugh when I didn't feel like laughing and that is a hard thing to do.

The train stopped which meant we were in London. Dean left to retrieve his things from his own compartment. I left without him, waiting for me was the outsiders, which I wasn't expecting really. We instantly spotted our parents... well their parents. My mother was nowhere to be seen. I looked around for her but I came to the conclusion Jace was right; she hadn't come to collect me.

Mr. Dempsy looked at me sadly. "Your mother asked me to collect you. I am going to drop you home. She didn't feel the best." he tried his best to smile and reassure me but we both knew it wasn't true. "she didn't feel the best." all summer. I nodded and followed him to the car.